With increases in the amount of leisure time available to them, more and more people are purchasing power boats for recreational purposes. These power boats range in size from small dingys with outboard motors to relatively large boats having inboard engines and capable of sleeping several persons. Boats of intermediate sizes are used for a variety of purposes, such as joy-riding, water skiing and fishing. Of the boats in the intermediate size classes, many are designed for specialized purposes, such as water skiing or fishing. Others, however, are designed for general use, which results in compromises of the features which are most desirable for a particular use such as water skiing or fishing.
Many recreational boats ranging in size from approximately 18 feet to 30 feet using inboard engines, large outboard engines, or what have become known as inboard/outboard engines and drive units presently are being manufactured. Most of these boats are well suited for pleasure boating or sightseeing and are fairly well adaptable for water skiing. Generally, however, it is difficult to fish from such boats.
Specialized fishing boats have been made in which the seating arrangements are such that two rearwardly facing swivel chairs are used; however, seating which otherwise could be provided around the sides and stern of such boats is eliminated. As a consequence, if a boat is outfitted for fishing purposes, it does not adapt readily to sightseeing or pleasure cruising.
Furthermore, it often is desirable to provide increased deck space for a pleasure boat which can be used to effectively increase the length of a boat of a given length; so that (for example) a boat owner of a 20-foot boat may increase the deck space to the equivalent of a 22-foot boat without incurring the expense otherwise necessary to buy a larger boat. In addition, it is desirable to provide some means for increasing the effective length or deck space of a boat when desired, but which may be quickly and easily removed whenever the additional deck space is not desired.
Extensions have been proposed for mounting on the transom of boats for use as platforms or steps to assist water skiers or swimmers in entering the boat from the water. Other removable platforms have been proposed for use with fishing boats for the storage of nets and other gear on the stern of the boat but, in effect, outside the boat; so that the water and other debris carried by the nets does not enter the boat. In addition, such platform extensions for this purpose free the interior space of the boat for other uses. Thus, a small boat effectively is made larger.
For general purpose pleasure boats, it is desirable to provide some means for readily adapting them for fishing or water skiing while still retaining the interior seating arrangements commonly used when the boat is used for sightseeing or pleasure riding. In addition, it is desirable to extend the effective useful length of a boat in an economical fashion and to quickly and easily adapt it to increased seating capacity of a flexible nature.